


The Only Thing

by markwasalone



Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, Internalized Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 12:37:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16534709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/markwasalone/pseuds/markwasalone
Summary: Shocked at Joseph's sudden change of heart during their last date, Alex confronts him about his actions.





	The Only Thing

**Author's Note:**

> I played Dream Daddy again b/c of the Halloween update and got big mad that Joseph's endings are still trash. This fic is the result of me wanting to explore a more positive outcome for his route.

"I realized I still love Mary and need to make things work. I hope you understand." 

A hand came to pat his shoulder but it brought no comfort. 

"Actually no, I don't understand Joseph," Alex choked out while brushing the hand off. 

"Lex...I-" 

"You don't get to call me that! You don't get to pretend like everything is fine when it's not." 

"Alex please, people are starting to stare." Joseph said as he tossed a look past his shoulder. 

"So what do I care!? I'm not the one in the wrong here. I'm certainly not the one lying to everyone. You're miserable with Mary. Hell, she's obviously unhappy too. You two are terrible for each other so don't feed me that bullshit that you still love her. I don't understand how you're so-" he paused upon noticing Amanda giving him a look of concern from the other side of the yard. 

He took a deep breath before giving her a small wave before grabbing Joseph's arm and leading him further away from the crowd. 

"Come on, you may be trying to pull some monumental nonsense right now but I'm not going to ruin my daughter's party." 

"I'm sorry Alex, but can you please just let this go?" 

"Do you know how hard it was to move here after my husband died? Of course you do, it was one of the major things I opened up to you about when we first started spending time together. I may have looked alright on the outside but I was a wreck just trying to keep things from spiraling out of control for Amanda's sake." 

Alex's eyes fell to the ground for a moment before returning to look at Joseph. 

"But then you came over with your clean cut youth pastor spiel and your cookies and that damn smile of yours. Then suddenly I'm helping out with bake sales and school dances and actually beginning to enjoy life again." 

"Ale-" A hand came up to stop Joseph's reply. 

"No, you're going to let me finish damn it. I opened up to you that night of the dance, in the margarita zone. I'll admit I felt bad for liking you when you're married, but I was content to just be your friend. That's why I didn't kiss you even though every impulse was telling me to. Whatever problems you and Mary had were your business to deal with." 

"Exactly, and that's why I'm asking you to honor that now." 

Alex let out a bitter laugh. 

"Maybe if that was our last interaction I'd understand, but we both know that's not how things went down. You just had to invite me to your damn yacht. Had to lie to me about you and Mary splitting just to get me to let down my guard and finally let you in." 

"It's not like that Alex, I was confused." 

"You don't get to pull that card on me Joseph. I'm not going to be like Robert and let you get away with this bullshit." 

Joseph winced at the mention of Robert’s name. 

"Yeah, I know about that. He's a little rough around the edges, but he's a nice guy and he didn't deserve what you did to him. Neither did I, you jackass. Now tell me what the fuck makes you think you can treat people like this. Because all I'm seeing is you being an idiot to think all of this is okay." 

Joseph was a quiet for a moment before falling to his knees and bursting into sobs. Surprised at the other man's reaction, Alex's expression softened. Approaching the crying man cautiously, he placed a hand on his shoulder. Feeling the contact, Joseph turned to face the other man. 

"I-I-I'm sorry, Lex. I...I don't know what t-to do." 

Alex crouched down next him to meet his gaze. A small part of him hurt to see the man he cared about in so much pain. But given their current situation, his own broken heart was aching too much to care. 

"You could start by being honest with yourself." 

Joseph looked pensive for a moment before tentatively taking Alex’s hand in his. 

"I have...very strong feelings for you. But, we can't be together."

Alex ripped his hand out of the gentle grasp. 

"Why the hell not? Are you worried about the kids? Because I'm sure they can see how unhappy you and Mary are together. It's better to split up and share custody than keep them in a house where you're both miserable." 

"I-it's not that, Lex."

"Then please tell me because I'm really in the dark here." 

"It's not right." 

"What do you even mean by that?" 

"It's not right for me to be with another man like that when I'm a part of the Church." 

"Oh Jesus Christ, Joseph are you really going all repressed Christian on me? Seriously? In 2018?" Alex half shouted, his voice returning to its previous irritated tone. 

"I need to set an example for the rest of the community, especially as a youth pastor. Now God loves everybody but we need to try resist sin as much as we can." 

Alex got up and started pacing back and forth while running his hands through his brown hair. Joseph stood up to calm the exasperated man but his hand got waved away. 

"This is unbelievable, you didn't seem to care about 'resisting' when we were on your boat together." 

"...that was a moment of weakness for me. But the beauty of God is that His love and forgiveness are infinite. He sees that I repent and try to do what's right. It’s just like my parents taught me. I...I know I'm on the right path."

Hearing this made the last of Alex’s frustration finally boil over. 

"The right path!? Are you serious right now!? You're too deep in denial to see this Joseph but this is NOT the right path. The right path wouldn't have this much pain and suffering for you and your loved ones. If God is all about love, then why would He want you to deny your feelings for me? He wouldn't give you the capacity for those good feelings just to punish you for acting on them. That'd just make Him cruel." 

A beat passed between them before Joseph turned his back to Alex. 

"Please Joseph, don't do this. Look inside yourself, ignore whatever bullshit your parents instilled and focus on how you truly feel. You know what the right thing to do is." 

Joseph remained silent and didn't move. 

Approaching him from behind, Alex gently turned him around to see tears filling his eyes once more, a broken look on his face. 

"I-I don't know what to do Alex. My parents always told me that it was okay if I was gay as long as I still married a woman and raised a family. I worked so hard to get this far. I can’t just throw it all away now." 

Alex winced at the new information. "No wonder he's clinging to it so tightly, they probably told him that his whole life." he thought to himself. Taking the crying man's face in his hands, he brought their foreheads together. 

"Oh Joseph, baby that's no way to live your life. It's not fair to you, Mary, or your kids to be living a lie like that. Please, for the sake of your sanity, just listen to what your heart is saying."  
Joseph was silent. They remained like that for a few moments but the silence made it feel like an eternity. Eventually, Joseph pulled away to look him in the eye with a mournful look. 

“I...should go back home. Tell Amanda congratulations on her acceptance letter.” 

“Joseph…” Alex said as he reached out for the other man. 

But it was too late, and Joseph was already walking away. Falling to the ground, Alex finally let himself break down. He sat there for what felt like hours before he heard the rustle of footsteps behind him. Wiping his tears and recomposing himself, he got up and turned around to be greeted by Amanda with a concerned look on her face. He found his voice before she could say something. 

“Hey Manda Panda, what’re you doing over here? Didn’t I teach you better than ditching your own party?” he chided playfully, hoping his voice wasn’t as raspy as it sounded to his own hears. 

If there was any weakness in his voice, she ignored it. 

“Hah, no, dad. I was just coming to look for you. Brian mentioned being the best grill master on the block so I obviously had to go find the true master to put him in his place.” 

“HAH! He wishes he could grill half as good as me.” 

“That’s what I was saying! Now let’s go steal his self-appointed title.” 

“Orrrr I earn it through hard work and my superior skills. Stealing is wrong sweetie,” he deadpanned. Amanda just rolled her eyes and tugged her father’s arm back to the celebration. 

True to his word, Alex bested Brian at the grill and the rest of the party ended up running smoothly. After the last guest had left, he scanned his backyard to assess the damage. The other dads had been considerate enough, but there was still a bit of a mess left behind. Too exhausted from the day’s events, he told Amanda he was going to bed and to worry about it tomorrow. After brushing his teeth and plopping down on the bed, he glanced at his phone for a moment and noticed he had one unread message. Hope bubbled in his chest as he unlocked his phone to read the message. 

Hey bro that was party was awesome! We’re still on for our run tomorrow morning right? 

Alex tossed his phone across the room and went to bed. 

~

Joseph woke up with a start as a nearby door slammed close. Glancing at the digital clock, he read that it was 3:15am. Wiping his eyes, he slowly got up off the couch to check the front door. He yelped as a shadowy figure bumped into him. 

“Holy fuck!” Mary screamed as she tried to recover from stumbling into him. 

“Mary?” 

“Joseph what the hell are you doing here? Why are you sleeping on the damn couch?”

“Couldn’t go back to the boat. Didn’t know where else to go so I just came home.” 

“What’s wrong with the boat? You didn’t have any problem sleeping there the past month.” 

“I just can’t go back there so soon after…” 

His gaze fell to the side as he trailed off. 

“Oh God, don’t tell me. Did the newbie break up with you? Hah, that’s rich. It’s certainly a new spin on your usual pump and dump routine. I guess that explains why you couldn’t drag your miserable self back to the boat.” she sneered as she crossed her arms. 

His eyes returned to meet hers with a glare. 

“He didn’t break up with me. I broke it off with him. For you, for our kids, for God. So don’t stand there and patronize me. Especially when you’re stumbling through the front door drunk at 3 in the morning. What would our children think if they saw you like this?” he spat back. 

“Our children are sleeping safe at Mat’s house. They were having so much fun with Carmensita at the barbeque that they asked if they could have a sleepover. Not that you would know since you snuck off to dump your boy toy. And what’s this about doing it for me? I don’t recall asking you to do anything.” 

“Don’t be difficult, you know what I mean. It’s not God’s plan for me to be acting that way and I had to set things straight.” 

“Jesus Christ. Only you could be this dense.” she laughed sardonically. 

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you, Joseph. I’m talking about you and me and this dumpster fire of a marriage. I knew I shouldn’t have gone through with the wedding once you told me you were gay. But you were so insistent about making things work with God’s help. And back then I was so smitten with you, I wanted to believe everything would work out.” 

She rubbed her temples and let out a deep sigh before continuing. 

“But I was a fool to think you could ignore something so fundamental to yourself. I deluded myself into thinking that seeing Chris be born would somehow bolster your resolve. Then when you cheated on me with Robert and came crawling back, I prayed that it was just a one time mistake during a moment of weakness. But we both know that’s not it. This isn’t some dark part of you that you’re trying to keep buried. It’s the real you, Joseph.” 

His eyes began looking everywhere but her face, he could feel the sweat beginning to drip down his brow. 

“But it’s not the real me! It can’t be, it’s not what God wants.” 

“Is it not what God wants? Or is it just something your parents don’t want?” 

Joseph eyed her warily with a sidelong glance. 

“I don’t know what you’re getting at.” 

“Jesus Joseph, I’m saying that I think this whole mess is because your parents couldn’t cope with having a gay son so they tried to fool you into thinking you could be straight.” 

“That’s not wha-” his sentence was cut off by Mary’s hand shushing him. 

”No, you’re going to listen to me now. I’m done drowning my woes in wine. You may have been brainwashed but it takes two to tango. I should have put a stop to this much earlier, tried to talk some sense into you. Better late than never I suppose. Listen to me carefully Joseph.” 

She stepped into his personal space, taking his face into her hands to get him to finally meet her gaze. 

“There’s nothing wrong with you wanting to have a relationship with another man.” 

Joseph’s demeanor warped into that of a frightened animal. Stepping back from her hold, he put some space between them. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He looked down at his hands, when had they started shaking? Clenching them to make them stop, he steeled himself to face her again. 

“B-but there is, I-I know there is. I didn’t do go through all this pain just to give into sin.” 

“Love isn’t a sin Joseph! There’s plenty of things in life that are, but love isn’t one of them. I know it’s hard to swallow, but your parents manipulated you. I should never have married you and let that idea fester, that was my mistake. I’m sorry, but it’s time to be real with each other. I loved you with all my heart. Heck, even now there’s a small part of me that still cares about you. You may have loved me in your own way when we met, but it’s not the kind of love a marriage requires. We were never going to work.” she said with sad smile. 

He was silent for a long time before finally collapsing on the ground in a sobbing heap. She sat down next to him and took his crying face into her arms. 

“Oh God Mary, what have I done? All those years you wasted on me and you’re still here by my side at my lowest. Everything is so messed up, I fucked everything up. I didn’t just ruin my life, I ruined yours too. Not to the mention the kids and all the stress this must have put them under. I’m sorry I dragged you through all of this with me.” 

“Hush, we both bought into that delusion your parents created. While you definitely fucked up more than I did, I don’t think any good will come from holding grudges. We need to do what’s best for the children now.” 

“Agreed. Tomorrow morning we’ll get them from Mat’s house then explain that we’re getting a divorce.” 

“Let’s not ruin their fun too quickly. Mat mentioned wanting to take them all to the park tomorrow, let’s allow them to enjoy themselves for a little longer. We can talk to them tomorrow evening. Plus, I think you have some other business to attend to.” 

“...how can I even face Alex again after what I put him through?”

“I meant apologizing to Robert. You’ll have plenty of time to make up with Alex AFTER you make things right with my friend. Did you know he hasn’t dated anyone since you broke his heart?”

Joseph winced at her reminder. 

“Don’t make that face, it’s the truth. But at least now you can try and put things back in order.”

“Okay then, I’ll head to Robert’s place in the morning then talk to Alex.” 

“Much better.” 

“I still don’t know how I’m going to face Alex.” 

“You managed to face Robert before, so I think you’ll find a way.” 

“Ouch, I suppose you’re right though. Cracker barrels, you snapped back to normal quickly.” 

“What can I say? I can only do sentimental for so long. Now I’m going to head to bed since you single handedly made me lose my buzz with this conversation. I’ll see you in the morning.” she said with a wave as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom. 

Joseph returned to the couch and let sleep take him. 

~

The next day, Alex woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He slowly grabbed it and brought it to his ear, his voice laced with drowsiness. 

“Hello?”

“Bro! You better be up and at ‘em. I’m not letting you back out of this run after you promised me you’d come.” 

“Now’s really not a good time Craig. Jose-I’m just not feeling the best right now.” 

“Oh bro, that’s even more reason to come out and run! It’ll do wonders for your mood. C’mon, I’m not taking no for an answer. I’ll be there in 10 minutes and you better be ready.” Craig said cheerfully as he hung up the call before Alex could protest further. 

Letting out a long sigh, Alex dragged himself out of bed before brushing his teeth and putting on a t-shirt and some running shorts. When he stepped out of his front door, there was Craig with his usual cheery smile. He was reluctant to admit it, but once they started running, he began to feel his mood lighten up a bit. By the time they finished their run and bid each other goodbye, he felt like today wouldn’t be that bad. That is until he stopped walking towards his house when he spotted a familiar pink polo standing at his front door. Coming closer, he slowed when he realized that Joseph was talking to Amanda while holding something in his hands. 

“Is your father home?”

“After how you left him yesterday, I don’t think that’s any of your business Mr. Christiansen.” she said as she crossed her arms. 

“Okay, yeah I deserve that. I know I messed up royally with your dad but now I just want to make things right. I just need to talk to him.” 

Amanda’s glare remained steady. 

“You know, I haven’t seen my father cry like that in a while. With all due respect, I think you’ve done enough. Why don’t you go back home to Mrs. Christiansen?” 

“We’re getting a divorce. We had a long talk last night and we’ve decided it’s the best thing to do for both of us. It wasn’t fair to keep preten-” 

“I think that’s enough, Joseph.” Alex interjected. 

Joseph turned around at the sound of the other man’s voice. 

“It’s one thing to lie to me, but to lie to my daughter? This is a new low for you.” 

“Alex please, I swear to God I’m not lying to you. Mary and I are actually getting a divorce this time.” 

Alex crossed his arms as he came closer to the other man. 

“Go inside now Panda, I can deal with this.” he said as he gestured for her to give them some privacy. She paused for a second to give Joseph a wary look before complying and shutting the front door. Turning his attention back to Joseph, he continued: 

“And the cookies? Did you bake them to celebrate your fake divorce? Because I’m really not buying it.” 

Glancing down at the tray in his hand, Joseph’s shoulders dropped. 

“Mary and I are really getting a divorce this time, I swear to you it’s the truth. I can even bring you to my house to talk to her if you want to.” 

Alex eyed him cautiously for a moment before speaking slowly. 

“...I don’t think that’s necessary, keep talking.” 

“I...suppose I wanted another do over. Like the first time we met, except I’m the only one who messed up this time and I probably don’t even deserve your forgiveness. I knew this was a stupid idea but I had to try something Alex. Mary finally talked some sense into me last night and now I can finally be honest with myself. This lie I’ve been living has been hurting myself and everyone around me. It’s time I try to atone for the pain I’ve caused.” 

Alex remained silent but held the other man’s gaze. 

“You were right. My parents tried stomping the real me out with the delusion that I could be straight if I worked hard enough at it. But Mary knocked some sense into me and now I see that they were manipulating me. She actually made a lot of the same points you did.”

“I knew there was something about her I liked.” 

“You two would’ve gotten along great if I wasn’t causing problems. It’s only because of both of you that I finally saw the light. A part of me feels like God sent you to me so I could finally see things clearly now. I’ve never felt like this for anyone else before, not even Robert.” 

“Oh yeah Robert, that other guy whose heart you broke.” 

“I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to make things right, and I didn’t just mean for things between us. I went over to his place earlier and apologized.” 

Alex raised an eyebrow. 

“And?”

“Well, he threw his carving knife at me.” 

“Joseph!” Alex blurted out as he scanned the other man for any injuries. 

“Don’t worry, he missed. It had to be on purpose too because he really knows how to use that knife. I think it was his way of telling me things were okay...or at least that they might be someday.” 

“Yeah that sounds like Robert.” Alex said with a small chuckle. “And what about your kids?” 

“Mary and I will have joint custody. She’ll stay in the house with them and I’ll be living on the boat until I can find someplace more appropriate. I know this is going to be hard for them, but they still mean the world to me and I’m going to do my best for them.” 

Alex’s expression softened a bit. 

“Okay.” 

“So now I’ve told you about how I’m trying to make things right with everyone else, but now it’s your turn. I’m-” 

“Hold on one second.” Alex interjected as he came closer to the front door. 

“Amanda, I know you’ve been eavesdropping this whole time. But could you please take the cookies from Joseph so he’s not baring his heart out to me with his hands full?” 

“Sure thing Pops.” Amanda replied as she quickly opened the door and snatched the tray from Joseph before returning back inside. 

“Alright, continue.” 

“I’m gay Alex. I’m gay and I know because of the way I blush when you clean frosting off my nose. Or how my stomach tingles from having you lift me up in front of those kids at the dance. Or when my heart flutters every time I see you smile at me. I know I can’t blame all of this on my parents, I still made the choices I did in the end. But I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I want you to know I’ll do whatever it takes to have you back in my life, if you’ll still have me that is.” 

Alex stood there, taking in the sight of Joseph being so vulnerable. He had to admit he still missed the other man despite how hurt he was from the other day. Part of the reason he enjoyed the run so much was that it gave him something else to focus on besides the ache in his chest. But now Joseph was here in front of him looking the most sincere he’s ever seen him before. 

“Well you’re sure as hell not getting a do over.” 

Joseph winced at the comment as his eyes dropped to the floor. He almost jumped however when he felt a familiar pair of arms pull him into a warm hug and soft words against his ear. 

“But I think I can work with a light slap on the wrists, maybe take me out on a real date this time.” 

A flood of relief washed over him as he returned the embrace and squeezed Alex tight against his chest. After basking in the warmth of the other man, he pulled away enough to speak. 

“Lex, I swear I’ll take you to the fanciest place in town. I’ll never treat you like some dirty secret again. You’re one of the best-” Joseph’s words were silenced by Alex’s lips against his. Eagerly reciprocating, he tried pouring all of his emotions into the kiss. He melted into it, enjoying the feeling of having the other man so close again. He brought a hand up to rub the back of Alex's neck. This earned him a moan of appreciation at his gentle touch. After what felt like an eternity, they broke the kiss but remained close together. Alex was the first to open his eyes. 

“Now that that’s over with, do you want to come inside and have lunch with me and Amanda?” 

Joseph met his eyes with a beaming smile. 

“I would love to.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope it was enjoyable! As always, any feedback is much appreciated.


End file.
